One-Ingredient Ice Cream

alice currahJune 11, 2015

I’m a firm believer in that if something seems too good to be true, chances are good that it is. Even though I call myself a culinary realist at heart, once in a while I’ll come across a recipe or concept that seems so crazy I have to try it just to satisfy my curiosity because I want to believe it’s true. But when I read about making ice cream with one-ingredient, I thought, “no way… too gimmicky.” That is, until I tried it.

Perhaps you’ve read about the famous one-ingredient ice cream made with frozen ripe bananas. In case you haven’t, let me tell you how unbelievably awesome this ice cream really is. So healthy for you, this ice cream is like nature’s way of showing off.

Bananas in general are naturally sweet and creamy. High in potassium, this fruit is considered a great source of energy for athletes who are looking for a lasting source of carbohydrates to fuel their runs, practices, and games. The longer bananas are allowed to ripen, the sweeter they become. The sweeter they become, the better they are for baking breads and other sweet desserts. However, ripe bananas also make the perfect one-ingredient ice cream.

When frozen bananas are pureed in a food processor, they transform into this cold soft serve custard like ice cream that is both creamy and delicious. The “ice cream” of course isn’t really ice cream, but the similarities are evident. The texture is pleasantly surprising creamy and tastes like the summer dessert we all know and love.

The trick to making good banana ice cream is to use very ripe bananas. Once the frozen banana starts to process in a food processor it will first look like tiny fragmented pieces, then it magically becomes very smooth. This healthy dessert can be enjoyed by itself or can be adapted with add-ins such as Nutella, peanut butter, coconut, honey, cocoa powder, and any other fix-ins you like. I personally like drizzling my banana ice cream with a touch of honey, a light dusting of cinnamon, and topped off with coconut. YUM!

If you and your child are looking for a fun and healthy dessert recipe, look no further than this ice cream recipe. You’ll love making it as much as you’ll love eating it.

Enjoy!

Recipe: One-Ingredient Ice Cream

Prep Time: 2 hrs min(s)

Cook Time: 1 min(s)

Total Time: 61 min(s)

Servings: 2

An easy, healthy, all natural ice cream recipe made with one ingredient.

Ingredients

2 very ripe bananas

Instructions

Slice ripe bananas into 1/2-inch pieces.

Freeze the bananas for at least 2 hours in the freezer or overnight.

Place the bananas in a food processor and puree until smooth. Spoon and chunks down as needed.

Once the bananas have turned into a creamy custard, serve immediately or freeze in a container with a lid.

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Dave Cannon

Made it a few times. It’s surprisingly creamy, but has a bitter taste from the tannins in the banana. You’ll probably eat a few bites, say “well that wasn’t as bad as I thought” and reach for the real ice cream.

Agripinna

Meh. Frozen pureed bananas. Doesn’t qualify as ice cream by a long stretch.

Jenn

I take it you are not familiar with Daniel Tiger and bannana swirl huh?

Isaac Magaña

This is awesome for people who care about their health and/or are lactose intolerant like myself. Can’t wait to try it